
A “liberal” form of government is narrow in scope it liberates people by giving them the ability to make many of the major decisions that shape their lives.

Individual initiative and the accidents of progressĬitizens are most productive when government is limited, because reduced state interference minimizes public intrusion into private lives. getAbstract recommends this scholarly tome to readers seeking a detailed philosophical foundation for limited government and to anyone who wants to be familiar with the classic canon of modern economic thought. For example, he criticizes Social Security and progressive taxation as regrettable forms of income redistribution. He identifies serious but subtle threats to individual freedom. Hayek demonstrates how liberty takes sustenance from the rule of law, the concept of due process and the constitutional form of government. Restricting government is more likely to produce the individual spontaneity and creativity that is vital to the advancement of knowledge and civilization. The book contrasts the benefits of limited government with the costs of central economic planning. His reasoned advocacy of economic freedom and personal liberty applies to modern debates on controversial subjects ranging from price inflation and progressive taxation to public education.

Hayek wrote The Constitution of Liberty for publication in 1960, but his timeless insights still have currency. Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1978Įconomist and political philosopher Friedrich A.
